The present invention relates to an image selecting apparatus and an image selecting method for allowing a user to edit and view image data as an electronic album, and more particularly, to an image selecting apparatus and an image selecting method for allowing a plurality of users to simultaneously perform editing an electronic album.
In recent years, there have been proposed various image editing systems for allowing a plurality of users to edit and store image data as an electronic album to be shared and viewed among the plurality of users. In such systems as described above, there has been also proposed a method for producing an album in accordance with a user's taste by editing, e.g., selecting and arranging images to be laid out in an electronic album and decorating in album pages as desired.
A method involving editing an album is disclosed in, for example, JP 10-232946 A. In an image processing apparatus and an image processing method disclosed in JP 10-232946 A, editing of an album is performed by displaying, on an image-listing window on a right side of a screen, images to be laid out on a template and letting an operator to select favorite images. According to JP 10-232946 A, the operator can select favorite images from the image-listing window and drag and drop the images to an image selection window displayed on a left side of the screen using a mouse to thereby arrange the selected images on an arbitrary page in an arbitrary order.
JP 3196897 B discloses an image printing apparatus for allowing a plurality of users to edit concerning one image. According to JP 3196897 B, having a plurality of display screens, a plurality of image editing means corresponding to the respective display screens are provided, whereby a plurality of users can simultaneously and quickly edit photographed images using different display screens and editing means, respectively.